The helicopter had taken off from Luca, Tuscany, on Thursday and was heading to the northern city of Treviso when it went missing due to bad weather in a remote area. “Rescuers found dead the seven passengers of the helicopter, four Turkish and two Lebanese nationals, who were on a business trip to Italy. As well as the Italian pilot,” said the prefect’s office in the city of Modena. statement. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register The helicopter was found in a mountainous area on the border between Tuscany and the Emilia Romagna region, the statement said. Prosecutors have cordoned off the area as part of the investigation into the incident. “We took the coordinates, went to the spot and found everything burned. The helicopter is essentially in a valley, near a stream,” a rescuer said in a video posted on the Italian Air Force’s Twitter account. The Turkish businessmen worked for Eczacibasi Consumer Products, a subsidiary of the large Turkish industrial group Eczacibasi (ECZYT.IS). They participated in a paper technology exhibition in Italy, the company said in a statement. read more The helicopter was a Koala AW119 built by the Leonardo defense team (LDOF.MI), a person close to the matter told Reuters. The ANSA news agency reported that it belonged to the transport and aeronautical maintenance company Avio Helicopters, based in Thiene, in northern Italy. Avio Helicopters was not immediately available for comment. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Additional references by Federico Maccioni. Editing by David Clarke, Clelia Oziel and Mike Harrison Our role models: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
